About Mount Cain

Situated on the north end of Vancouver Island, Mount Cain offers a unique experience to skiers, snowboarders and backcountry skiers. At Mount Cain you'll find deep powder, 21 runs, with 1499 vertical feet of terrain. We're open three days a week (weekends and select Mondays) which permits the powder to accumulate all week. Mt. Cain has few line-ups and the welcoming atmosphere of a family oriented mountain.

Mount Cain has the highest base elevation of any coastal ski hill in BC, Alaska and Washington State. Our peak elevation is second only to Whistler.

Mt. Cain is located near Schoen Lake Provincial Park and is run by the non-profit Mount Cain Alpine Park Society, Vancouver Island's only community owned and operated ski hill!

Mount Cain History

Mount Cain Timeline

1971 - Skiers from Woss, Port McNeill, Port Alice and Port Hardy form the North Island Ski Club, and began looking at locations around Mt. Cain to develop a ski resort.

1973 - The Regional District (RD) of Mt. Waddington conducted a feasibility study, which recommended using the present location of Mt. Cain;

1979 - North Island Senior Secondary's shop class constructed a log cabin building which became the lodge at Mt. Cain, where it remains today.

1981 - Mt. Cain resort opens with the lower T-bar completed; the controlled Recreation Area was established by the Province of BC and leased to the RD of Mount Waddington, and an operating agreement established between the RD and MCAPS.

1986 - Mt. Cain was granted a Licence of Occupation for a cabin area; 15 cabin lots were created, and the first five cabin sites were sold for $2,500 each.

1992 - An additional 22 building lots were made available which brought the total cabin lots to 37.

2007 - The 4th phase of cabin expansion occurred: Mt. Cain now has 52 cabins in the residential area. Significant upgrades occurred with the construction of a new machine shop, the Kapitany Lodge and improved machinery and groomers.

2010 - Saw skier visits rise from 3078 in 1991 to over 12,000 in 2011, which still averages out to less than 200 skiers per operational day.

Mount Cain Values

The Mount Cain Alpine Park Society is a strong organization run by a volunteer board. Its resources are limited, and, as such, the Society is not in a position to pursue resort development to the same magnitude as a large corporation. The Society has been, and still is, guided by the following principles:

To provide affordable sustainable recreation activities for North Islanders

To maintain Mount Cain as a viable community ski resort

To continue to emphasize the unique niche market appeal of Mount Cain

To pursue modest expansion of the ski resort

To maintain the current equipment and assets in working order and to replace equipment as required